Pittsburgh officer has bullet removed near spine

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh police officer has undergone surgery to remove a bullet or fragments near his spine after trading gunfire Thursday with a suspect who police said didn’t respond to a stun gun after he crashed his vehicle to end a short chase.

Acting police Chief Regina McDonald hasn’t officially released the names of the wounded officer or a second officer who broke a finger. But memos she sent to police officials identified the wounded officer as Morgan Jenkins.

McDonald said the incident began about 1:30 a.m. in Homewood, a drug- and violence-infested neighborhood.

The officers were on patrol when a car driven by 24-year-old James Robert Hill sped past them in the opposite direction, prompting the officers to chase him. Hill crashed into a wall after failing to negotiate a turn and police got out of their car to subdue him, but Hill began fighting and didn’t respond when he was hit with a stun gun, McDonald said.

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Hill ran into a wooded area nearby, firing shots at the officers who ran after him and returned fire.

The second officer who fired at the suspect and suffered a broken finger was identified as Michelle Auge.

Dozens of officers and city officials gathered outside UPMC Presbyterian hospital where Jenkins had surgery as his family kept a vigil.

McDonald initially said Jenkins was wounded only in his shoulder, though his body armor stopped several other shots. In a subsequent memo, the chief informed others that Jenkins was hit with a second bullet that entered his body below his protective vest and that bullet fragments were removed from his spinal area during surgery.

Jenkins remained in critical condition after the surgery, but doctors gave a “thumbs up” to those at the hospital and indicated they expect the officer will recover, a police official told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because specifics about the officer’s condition were not being officially released.

McDonald said the wounded officer was an eight-year veteran, and the officer with the broken finger has been on the force for 13 years. Both are in their 30s.

Both officers will be on paid administrative leave, which is routine for officers involved in shootings, while the police and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office review the shooting to determine whether it was justified.

Hill was also taken to UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where he was undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot wounds and also in critical condition.

Hill’s attorney, Milton Raiford, told reporters that the facts surrounding the incident will be sorted out in the coming days and that people should focus the families and the recovery of both wounded men.

“The sensitive thing to do is pray that the officer is OK and pray that Mr. Hill is OK,” Raiford said.

Online court records show that Hill was wanted by police in the suburb of Braddock on a charge of escape, though the circumstances behind that charge were unclear. That incident happened on April 5.

Court records show that Hill was convicted of several charges including weapons offenses, assault, drugs and theft, stemming from three arrests in a six-month period of 2009. The most serious of those cases resulted in a three- to six-year prison sentence imposed in 2010, which means Hill would currently be on parole. In at least one of those cases, Hill fought with or assaulted police, court records show.

Police spokeswoman Diane Richard said she did not believe either officer had previously been involved in an on-duty shooting.